Ray Street Park

 

The story of Ray Street Park (RSP)

 begins just south of Detroit in 1997.

 Longtime friends Jeff Howey (guitar)

 and Darrell Robertson (drums)

found themselves in the midst of

 putting together a new music

project and searching for a vocalist

with a powerful and distinct voice.

At just about the same time,

longtime friend Rick Stafford

returned to Detroit from several

years in San Francisco, where he

had honed his skills to become

just the throat that Jeff and Darrell

 had in mind. The three had been

friends as children, growing up and

 playing together in the actual “Ray

 Street Park” located in Riverview,

 Michigan, and now found

themselves using that common

bond as the starting point for

something that would eventually

 become far greater than each

individual had ever dreamed.

 

Adding female vocalist Schell

Robertson and bassist Tom Jeffers,

 the band known as Ray Street Park

 went on to release their self-titled

 debut in 1999, which sold more than

 1,500 copies. Performing steadily as

 both an original band and a four set

 a night cover outfit, the band had

grown leaps and bounds by the end

 of 2001, when they decided to part

 ways with Schell and pursue a more

 balls-out, powerful sound that had

thus far eluded them.

 

Emerging from Pete Bankert’s

infamous Rock City Studios in the

winter of 2002 with their sophomore

 release Lubricated, Ray Street Park

 had finally become the mature,

 emotion-laden, power-packed ball

 of thunder that the three founding

 members had envisioned six years

 before. Backed by sales of over

2,000 copies of Lubricated, the

band had to yet undergo one more

 major change, and the addition of

 bassist Terry Alan Martin, formerly

of the well-known Detroit band

Vinyl, has today cemented the outfit

 as a true force to be reckoned with

 when you talk about hard music in

the Motor City. Terry decided to step

 aside for personal reasons at the

end of 2010.

 

Now sporting a 2004 Detroit Music

 Award Nomination for “Outstanding

Live Performance” and 2005

 nominations in the “Outstanding

Live Performance”, “Outstanding

Hard Rock/Metal Band” and 2008

 “Outstanding Hard Rock/Metal

Band” “Outstanding Hard Rock

Record” categories, RSP is charging forward into the future led by

vocalist Rick Stafford and his

masterful stage presence and

powerful throat. He is the frontman’s

 frontman, and leads a Ray Street

Park audience with the same

panache that only a young David

 Lee Roth once possessed.

 

Guitarist Jeff Howey is a diverse and

 schooled player with a flair for

grinding crunch and an incredible

 command of his sound. On guitar,

Jeff can do it all, and as the heart of

the RSP sound, he truly gets a

chance to.

 

A new era begins for RSP with the

 addition of veteran bass player,

Dale Ratliff. Dale now adds a new

 element to the band that we hadn’t

 had before. The band now has the

3-part harmonies that had been

sought out for some time. Dales

playing is much more of the

direction that RSP has been striving

 in for some time with a much

deeper and heavy foundation in

both tone and writing. The future is

 bright with this line up.

 

That bedrock is drummer Darrell

 “Rockquake” Robertson, a man

 possessed by the need to punish

drum heads and pummel senses

with his rhythmic assault. Robertson

 is an extraordinarily powerful player

 with an uncanny knack for nuance.

He is foundationally strong and, with

 stunning ease, lays down the deep

 groove that RSP has become known

for.

 

Confident, mature and ready to take

the next step, RSP has now released

 3 CD’s and is now finishing writing

for the next assault on Detroit with

 their always loved Hard Rock style.

Look for the RSP live show to be

one of power, conviction and

energy as the band brings a sonic

 assault on the senses that has

allowed them to hold their own on

 the stage with any national act,

having appeared on shows with

touring acts including Disturbed,

 Slipknot, Slayer, Saliva, 7 Mary 3,

Soil, Mastodon, DragonForce,

Drowning Pool, Killswitch Engage,

 Corrosion of Conformity, Prong,

Kings X, Brand New Sin,

Mushroomhead, Stephen Pearcy of

Ratt, Sponge, Stryper, Darren

McCarty’s Grinder, Magna-Fi, The

Dirty Americans, Slaughter, Warrant,

 Great White and many more.

 

Adjectives and hip slang aside,

WRIF 101.1 (Detroit) FM personality

Doug Podell sums it up best when

he says, “These guys are setting

the standard for what Detroit rock is

all about.”